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Sunday, June 29, 2014

This June, in honor of Gay Pride month, the Briefers decided to take part in the Beth Wylde special events taking place all month long. We came up with a special themed storyline, centered around a gay cruise, with a host of secondary characters we can all use to interact with our original stories and main characters. This is totally separate from our regular weekly flashes, and we have some fun stuff also going on at Beth Wylde today. You can learn more about the Briefers, chat with us, offer up some ideas and comments, AND win some prizes, including 3 $25 gift cards provided by our members. For those who can't join in the Beth Wylde event, for whatever reason, I'm sharing my flash here. But I'd love to see you come comment on the group, (it'll be real lonely if no one shows up to talk with us!) and I'll be on a good part of the day. The link to the group will be at the bottom of the flash, if you need it.

A Surprise Inside

“Nuh-uh. No way.”

“C’mon, babe. It’ll be fun.” Hagan bent over Kelly, his wide
shoulders blocking out the glow shining through the porthole from the rainbow
lights in the pool. “You know you’ll blow them all out of the water.”

“We’re on a ship. I don’t want to hear about things blowing
out of the water. That’s gotta be bad luck or something.” Kelly gripped the
headboard. “Besides, you can’t make me.”

“I can.” Hagan sounded so sure of himself. It was the one
thing that always made Kelly melt. He stroked a hand up Kelly’s smooth leg.
“You know I can.”

Kelly slid his hands up the rails on the headboard and
revealed his cuffs. “I hid the key.”

Hagan chuckled. “You’ve got them close. You’re trying to
distract me so you can get out of the drag race. I’ll feel you up, trying to
find the key, and we won’t make it out of our suite tonight.”

“Maybe.” Kelly arched his back and slid his legs apart. His
silky bikinis stretched tight over his growing cock and balls. He knew exactly
how he looked. As always, the sight of Kelly in his sexy underwear got the reaction
he wanted from his boyfriend.

Fiancé.

“The prize is a gold trophy. You know you like gold.” Hagan
crawled on the bed and hovered over him.“Along with other sparkly, shiny things.”

Waving one hand, Kelly said, “I have all the gold I need.”
His engagement ring flashed in the shimmering light dancing through the room.
“I’m not going to run around the ship in heels just because I’d beat the
pantyhose off the posers tottering around in them for the first time. I’m not
gonna sing in the talent show either, so don’t ask me to. No shows this trip.

“I’m here to spend lots of lazy days and nights in bed with
my fiancé until he becomes my husband during a romantic, tropical cruise
wedding. I don’t want anyone’s eyes on me but yours.” Kelly lifted his hips,
rubbing his erection against Hagan’s stomach.

“Not possible. You’re way too sexy.”

Kelly smiled. He’d dated a lot of losers who didn’t like his
femme style, and one who’d flat out thought cross-dressing in drag shows a sign
of mental illness. Sometimes even gay men could be intolerant. But Hagan never
made him feel like a freak.

He turned over between Hagan’s legs, going up on his knees
with his arms crossed over his head. The only thing Hagan liked more than seeing
Kelly in panties was taking them off.

And when he did, he’d see another pretty gold thing Kelly
already had.

“So are you going to search me for the key, or not?”

“Oh, I think I have to.” Hagan traced tickling lines down
Kelly’s slim back and sides. “Nothing there. What about here?” He cupped
Kelly’s cheeks through his silky bikinis, then slid his fingers under the
edges, stroking the sensitive skin between his legs.

Kelly gasped and pushed backward into the touch. “Take them
off.” He turned his head sideways so he could watch. Kelly wanted to see Hagan’s
face.

“Just for this trip.” Kelly spread his knees as far as he
could and arched. “Just for you.”

“Is it real?”

“The handle is.” The gold vibrator was a heavy weight
filling him inside and out. “So, better than any trophy?”

Hagan slid his fingers down Kelly’s crack and then tapped
the base of the vibrator.

“Mmm.” The tip of the thick toy tapped his prostate, sending
sparks to his balls. Kelly’s cock began to drip. He’d spent the entire time
Hagan was speaking with the chief steward working the toy inside and driving
himself crazy thinking about how Hagan would use it.

His man didn’t disappoint. He toyed with Kelly until he was
moaning continuously, and only then
did he turn it on. Hagan drove him to the brink, trembling on the edge until he
begged.

Hagan pulled the toy out and curled around him. Their lips
met in a heated kiss as Hagan drove inside Kelly in one thrust.

“Oh, yeah.” Nothing felt as good as Hagan did. They fit
together, even sweaty, sticky, and….

“God!” Kelly shuddered under Hagan and thrust into his rough
hand encircling Kelly’s prick. He didn’t know which way to move, but he
couldn’t stay still as passion burned through his body, setting him on fire.

Hagan grabbed his hip and pulled Kelly back as he pushed
inside to the hilt, their bodies slapping together. They raced for completion,
unable to slow, their need too great.

“I love you too.” Hagan ran his hands up Kelly’s arms to the
cuffs. He tapped Kelly’s right fist. “Now give me the key before your hands go
numb.”

***

Hagan stood in a traditional tuxedo, Kelly on his arm as the
captain said the words that would entwine their two lives into one. His
beautiful man posed, so self-assured, in his tailored suit and pale lavender
blouse. The jacket was tucked at the sides, showing Kelly’s trim figure from
his wide shoulders to his slender waist.

Life with Kelly was one surprise after another. He was
nothing like Hagan first thought, seeing him all dolled up. He was glad he’d said
yes to Kelly’s proposal, though it came only months after they met, because
Kelly’s love was as essential to Hagan as breathing.

And once they were married, he had something planned for
Kelly… after all, his soon-to-be husband couldn’t be the only one plotting sexy
surprises.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Coming Tomorrow! Visit Beth Wylde with the Wednesday Briefers. See our special flash fiction... learn more about the Briefers, ask us questions, and enter the contests! I'll give away a free copy of Picked at the Peak and Protecting Bear, and the group has decided to give away (3) $25 gift cards!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Ooh! Yep, it's here. Friday! Last day of the work week for many, and of course today is the day Rob Colton, one of my favorite authors, is visiting. Please help me welcome Rob (cause I know a lot of you love him too) and remember to comment for your chance to win a copy of Enforcer!

Thanks for having me today, Cia!

I’m Rob Colton and I’m here to talk about my newest release,
Enforcer: Timber Pack Chronicles Book 2.
The book was released Wednesday, June 11th , and is available at all
your favorite online book stores. It’s also available in a paperback version
for those of you who prefer that format.

Enforcer is the
sequel to Timber Pack Chronicles. The
original book was more popular than I could ever have imagined, and I knew that
any sequel I wrote would have some pretty big shoes to fill.

The second book picks up the story from Jed’s point of view.
Out of all the secondary characters in the first book, Jed was by far my
favorite. A sharp contrast to the always serious Colton, Jed was just fun. The
way things were left with Jed’s character in the first book, it created a
natural segue to the second.

Check out the excerpt below and I hope you enjoy Jed’s
story.

To celebrate the release, I’m giving away a copy of the Enforcer ebook to one of Cia’s readers.
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post between now and Saturday,
June 28 at midnight EST. A winner will be chosen by random. Be sure to leave
your email address so that I can contact you if you win.

Remember to leave a comment if you want to enter the giveaway!

Blurb:

Jed Stone suffers in silence, damaged and poisoned from his
fight with the rogue wolf. But he puts on a smile and does his duty, making
sure his Timber Pack mates are safe.

Buzz Hinske belongs to a traditional lycan pack. Challenges
and violence seem to be their way of life. Forced into hiding his true nature
and feelings, Buzz obeys his alpha without question.

When they come together at the annual Lycan Conclave, Jed is
elated to find his destined mate. Unfortunately, Buzz has already been promised
to another…

If Jed wants to build a life with Buzz, he’ll have to
overcome power-hungry challengers, hunters, and rival packs. But first, he has
to convince his scared and confused mate two men can be destined to spend their
lives together.

Excerpt:

“Will we get to run soon?” Parker whispered to
Jed. He pulled at his shirt and rubbed his arms. His brows were bunched
together and his pupils were dilated. A fine sheen of sweat glistened across
his forehead, and he shifted back and forth between his feet. “I’m feeling a
little crampy.”

“It’s your time of the month, huh?” Jed joked.

“Ha. Ha. Good one,” Parker responded dryly.
“Ass.”

“Soon, Parker,” Jed said with a smile as he
looked up into the sky, taking in the orange and red streaks that stretched behind
the mountain peaks. Dusk approached fast, but they still had some time. Parker
had enough control; he could hold out a while longer. “Let’s eat first.”

Jed eyed the buffet tables and his stomach
growled loudly as it did a series of flips in his gut. Had he ever been this
hungry? The spread was fit for a king. Tables upon tables were filled to
overflowing with food. The smell of fresh meat called to Jed.

“Yeah, I could eat too,” Parker agreed as he wet
his lips.

After letting Colton know where they would be,
Jed led Parker to the buffet tables. He didn’t know where to start. Everything
looked good.

The sweetest smell hit Jed’s nose. He closed his
eyes and breathed it in, his chest puffing out as he inhaled deeply. “God,
something smells fucking fantastic.”

“Yeah. It all looks really good,” Parker said as
he grabbed a plate and began filling it. “Are all the tables the same, or is
there different stuff on each one?”

Parker’s words didn’t register. Jed’s mind was
preoccupied on its new task. His nostrils flared as he searched out the scent.
After he made a complete circle around the first buffet table, he then headed
for the second. He needed to find whatever that was.

Right fucking now.

When he got closer to his target, the smell
intensified. It took on a musky, earthy undertone.

Jed felt a twitch in his groin. His cock began to
fill with blood, coming alive for the first time in months. Jed almost dropped
to his knees to give a prayer of thanks, but he was compelled to keep
searching. His mouth was now watering as the smell overpowered him.

His tongue wet his lips as he realized the source
of the wonderful smell wasn’t food. He looked around wild-eyed, frantically
scanning the faces in front of him. Palming his hard-on through his jeans, he
moved through the gathered crowd, weaving around the tables, led by his nose.

Standing a few yards away, Jed finally found the
source of the heavenly scent.

The young man was shorter than Jed. He was built
stocky, with dark brown hair, and rosy cheeks. He wasn’t the type of guy Jed
normally went after, not at all. Generally, he liked them small and lithe—the
kind of boy he could pick up and manhandle. This boy was definitely not a
twink. Buck would probably describe him as a “muscle bear cub.” Only he wasn’t
no damn bear. He was one hundred percent lycan.Wolf.

The muscle pup stared back at Jed with big, gray,
wide-open eyes. He held a fork-speared meatball, frozen in place in front of
his gaping mouth.

As Jed stared at the gorgeous boy, his senses
nearly overloaded until each and every one narrowed into a tunnel, with the
hunky boy taking front and center.

His agonizingly erect cock jerked in his pants,
and one word pushed to the front of his lust-impaired brain.

Mate.

Author Bio:

Rob Colton is a software developer by day, and avid reader
of romance novels at night. A romantic at heart, he loves stories that feature
big, burly men who find true love and happy endings.

Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the
Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature
schnauzer.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Coming tomorrow! Rob Colton is visiting with his take on werewolves, with the sequel to his very popular Timber Pack. AND you could win a free copy of Enforcer by commenting, so make sure you come back tomorrow!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

It's Wednesday again! That means more Benny and Yuri (and after last week, I knew I'd better deliver). This week my flash was inspired by the prompt: "Spread 'em." Enjoy!

Lost Inside Chapter 27

“What
in the hell are you doing to him?” Benny ran his fingers over the cuffs behind
his back. They were heavy duty. The Tiger taking his blood ignored him. Two big
guards both sniggered when his voice come out nasal.

Fuckers
broke his damn nose again.

Benny
spat at them, blood and spit spraying their boots. One hissed. The other
growled and kicked Benny in the stomach. He groaned, falling sideways, ripping
the needle out of his arm.

“What
the hell?” the Tiger snapped. “Stop kicking him until I’m done.”

The
guards glowered at him. The pain in Benny’s guts and the ribs he’d probably
cracked trying to fight the attackers off when they separated him from his mate
was eclipsed by the agony he could feel Yuri suffering through their bond. Why
were they taking his blood?

Benny
drew up his legs and crossed his ankles, trying to hide the bulge in his pants.
He was aroused and the throbbing of his cock added to his frustrated rage.

What
the hell was Sheshtun up to? Benny knew Yuri’s dad was up to something. He just
didn’t know what! He recognized the house they were in—the new Alpha of the
clan his was absorbed into had horrid taste. The place was a poorly decorative,
but monstrously expensive, nightmare.

“You
have enough samples. Take your little pads and vials, and go.”

“Not
if I have to create enough pheromones several females. Plus I need enough of
his blood to entice the subject.”

“Well
you can come back for more if you need it. We won’t let him bleed too much.”
The smaller guard leaned forward, a vicious gleam in his eyes. That one was
dangerous. Benny huddled back against the wall.

“There’s
something wrong with you,” the slender Tiger muttered.

“Watch
your mouth, sub.” One of the guards smacked him upside the head. He smacked
into the wall and groaned. Benny stiffened when the male opened up his eyes and
blinked several times, staring right at him.

Shit.

“What
are you doing? Sheshtun will kick our asses, or worse, take it out on our mates
if you screw up his plans.” The guards started arguing. Benny held his breath,
waiting to see if the male was able to see straight after the big Tiger had
tried to cave in his skull. If he saw…

“Wait,”
the doctor mouthed. Benny glared at him. He bowed his head, picking up the vial
he dropped and the other samples he’d collected. He stood and scooted sideways
toward the door. “Sorry.”

He
slipped out the door.

Benny
couldn’t wait. He had to find Yuri. The smaller guard turned his back to him,
still berating the other Tiger for risking Sheshtun’s wrath. Benny knew
first-hand how true that was, but before their clans had merged, the Alpha hadn’t
seemed so scary. What the hell had he done to the clan in the last year?

Soundlessly,
Benny curled up on his knees. He spread his fingers, flicking his claws out. The
element of surprise tipped the scales in his favor. Leaping at the guards,
Benny slammed into the small guard’s back. He lunged upward, digging his claws
into the neck of the bigger guard facing him, slamming his head against the
wall.

Blood
dripped from his fingers as Benny twisted. He’d spent hours at the gym using
the punching bag. He nearly roared when the cursing guard got in a lucky strike
and hit his broken nose. The crunch was audible.

The
fucker didn’t get another chance. Benny unleashed his fury and his fists. He
drove them into the Tiger’s face, aiming for the floor under him. The guard
went limp under him, his arms and legs sprawled loosely.

Benny
panted, kneeling over him. He snarled, bloodlust nearly taking him as he saw
red. He had to go. He didn’t have time to pay the fuckers back.

He
levered himself off the floor. There were bars on the window. He grabbed the
cuffs he’d unlocked and cuffed one wrist of each guard, running the chain
between the bars. That’d hold them for a bit, at least.

Opening
the door was a risk he had to take. He listened for guards outside. There’d
been four on him when they dragged him in there. He couldn’t hear anyone. Benny
cracked open the door. He winced at the loud click of the lock releasing. He
didn’t see anything, at first, but then a flash of white moved into the narrow
view he had of the hall.

He
burst out, snagging the male with both hands around his neck, cutting off his
air. He dragged the doc back into the room. “Where is my mate?” Benny snarled.

“They…
have him tied down in… can’t breathe.”
The Tiger’s voice was thin and raspy and choked off completely when Benny
flexed his hands.

“Where!
Where is he?”

He
tapped frantically at Benny’s hands, his face turning purple. He wasn’t mated,
so he had no claws or fangs to fight back, even if he wasn’t runt sized. Benny
eased up, though he wanted to slaughter every single Tiger in the entire
building.

“The
basement,” he wheezed.

“You
will take me to him.”

“I
will. I want to help. But… but take me with you. Please.” Benny narrowed his eyes at the fervent plea.

“If
you want to go, why don’t you just leave?” He leaned in. “Are you trying to
trick me?”

“No.
I don’t want to help him. I’m
submissive. I have no choice!”

Could
he trust the Tiger’s desperation? Benny didn’t have waffle. He shoved him
against the wall. “Spread ‘em!” He ripped off the doctor’s white coat and patted
him down. The smaller man eeped when Benny ran his hands up his legs.

“Shut
up!” He was clean. “Let’s go.”

“Now?”

“Yes,
now!”

“But
we have to get to my lab first. If we don’t… Sheshtun will just find another doctor
to threaten. No one’s mate will be safe!”

TBC

Now check out the Wednesday Briefer's website or follow this list to see all the other updates this week!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

I read Let it Ride... and then let it ride. It's hard to write this review without spoiling the story. My first impressions of Bridge were of a big, affable cowboy whose everyone's friend on the surface. Under that, he has a great big heart that's set on Eric. Eric is cautious, and with his past, slow to trust.

Watching their dance play out as they go from the private 'I want him, does he want me?' moments to the end was great. At no time did I feel the author overdid the drama. Sure, there were some moments when I really wished the characters would just TALK, but by far, the emphasis on their conflict was on the emotional side of things, both the causes and effects, and how they could overcome them.

I really, really liked how the ending went most of all. Nothing was magically fixed, the big climactic conflict wasn't swept under the rug or tied off with a neat bow. We got a happily ever after (it's a romance, c'mon, we all know that's coming, so I know that's not a spoiler)that both let me sigh with a smile, and not feel like they were too idyllic or easily overcome.

Plus, you know... a hot cowboy and a medico. Two of my favorite things! LOL Definitely a recommend.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Who likes contests? We'll have several going on, from the authors, and the group! You could win eBooks or gift cards from the Wednesday Briefers next Sunday, June 29th, from 6 AM to 6 PM, Central Daylight Time.

We're going to be over at Beth Wylde's yahoo group, celebrating June as Gay Pride month. We've come up with a series of separate, get similar themed, stories set on a gay cruise for your reading enjoyment. We'll also have topics for Briefers and readers to comment, more about each of us, contest topics, and more! I plan to give away copies of Protecting Bear and Picked at the Peak for those who might not have read them yet, and I know other authors will be chipping in with some eBooks of their own to giveaway.

Check out the group now, because you must join before you can comment. It's easy to do, and you can choose different formats for email alerts to group posts and take part in other groups' events until the end of the month.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Back again... and this week we have some action! And some not action, as the prompt I chose was to give one of my characters a severe case of blue balls. LOL I bet you don't guess the way I bring that about though. Read on, if you dare!

Lost Inside Ch. 26

Yuri
fumbled with the little metal keys. His mate vibrated with tension. “What? What
is it?” he asked quietly.

“I
didn’t think they’d come back so soon.” The disappearance of the last two
Falcons left them alone. “Get in the truck, Yuri, and stay there.”

Yuri
took a deep breath, ready to argue. He wrinkled up his nose. “What is… ?” He
took another breath. “I know that….”

Four
Tigers spread out on the sidewalk between them and the truck. “Time to go
home,” one said.

His
name was on the tip of Yuri’s tongue, but he just couldn’t come up with it. He
knew the Tiger wasn’t talking about the bar, though.

“Fuck
you!” Benny hissed. “My mate isn’t going anywhere with you.”

“Oh,
we don’t want just him.”

The
Tigers rushed them. Benny struggled, and Yuri swiped at the two males who went
for him, but these were trained fighters. Clan Protectors. Their name came to
Yuri just as one clubbed him on the head with some extendable weapon.

He
groaned and fell to his knees.

“Stop
it!” Benny roared. “You’ll kill him.” He fought his way clear to Yuri,
crouching over him. Small silver prongs flew out of one of the Tiger’s weapon
and buried in Yuri’s chest. Blue fire arced. He went rigid, the smell of
scorched flesh permeating the air.

The
bright park faded into darkness.

***

A
warm hand stroked his hair back from his face. Yuri nuzzled into the caress.
He’s had horrible dreams. He took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.

He
frowned.

He
wasn’t in the bar. There was no smell of alcohol or fried food. Benny’s scent
didn’t permeate the bed he was tucked into. Yuri slid an arm across the
mattress.

“Benny?”

“Son?”

Yuri
scooted up against the headboard. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog
from his mind and the gunk from his eyes. “Mother?”

His
mother sat in a straight-back chair beside his bed, her hands folded in her
lap. She didn’t reach out to him. “You’re awake.”

Yuri
rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“Your
father will be pleased.” She stood, smoothing her skirt nervously. “Now I have
both my sons back.” She didn’t sound happy. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, barely
moving her lips.

She
demurely stepped back, her eyes on the floor, when the door to Yuri’s room
burst open. His dad walked in. He filled the room, his aura smothering. Yuri
stared up at him and the floodgates in his mind split wide open. Flashes of
pain and fear, decades old at the start up until the last moment he saw his
father as the older Tiger attacked his mate, struck Yuri at once.

He
roared and launched off the bed, his claws out and fangs bared. His vision
narrowed to a red haze over that hated face he recognized from his nightmares.
They grappled, evenly matched in body.

“Submit,”
his father rumbled.

“You’re
not my alpha, not anymore.” Yuri refused to bare this throat. He snarled and
hooked his legs around his father’s thighs, twisting his body and taking him
down to the ground. His instincts screamed for him to rip out the neck of his
foe.

He
would’ve, too, if two males hadn’t burst into the room and grabbed him by both
arms. They slammed him into the wall. Yuri strained, but they were big,
muscular guards—the kind his father really liked to have around.

“You
think you and your little mate could supplant me? I control this clan, not him,
and not you. My word is law.”

“Your
word is shit. You’re a dishonorable bastard!”

Sagsam
leaned back and plowed his fist into my jaw. “Shut up.”

Hot
trickles began to run down the side of Yuri’s mouth and chin. He spit red,
frothy blood in his face. “Make me.”

Yuri
expected his father to lose his cool completely and punish him for his
insolence. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Instead,
he smirked. “I will, believe me.” He drew a syringe out of his pocket. The tube
was filled with a noxious-looking green fluid.

“What
is that? What are you doing?” Yuri kicked at his father, unable to move his
hands.

“Oh,
you’ll see.” He uncapped the syringe and jabbed it into the meaty part of Yuri’s
thigh. “This won’t take long.”

Heat
spread through Yuri’s veins like, yet unlike, the venom injected in his brain. He
couldn’t describe the sensation, if he tried.

But
then it reached his balls and cock. They swelled, firming and rising up. Yuri
rolled his eyes, but his mother had left the room. He had no idea why he cared,
but he didn’t want her to see him like that… hard and needing, panting—not from
the struggle to free himself—but from the desire to touch his cock.

He
tried to find his rage, to fight the medicine, but it didn’t work. The guards
wrestled him over to his bed and tied him down, rough rope binding his wrists
to the headboard. His dad turned away.

“Where…
are you… going?” Yuri panted. He jerked on the bindings, humping his hips into
the air, trying to get the sensation he needed before he went completely
insane. “What did you… do to me?”

“This
is just the beginning. You think this is bad? You’re in for a set of blue balls
from Hell.” His dad laughed as he left, the guards following him out.

Yuri
cursed and writhed as much as he could. The tight sensation spread from his
groin through his body. Sweat ran down his forehead and dripped into his eyes.
He needed to touch, to be touched, with a mindless desire he’d never felt
before.

He
roared, and then roared again. Yuri voiced his displeasure, hissing at the
guard who came in and gagged him. Then the man pulled out another syringe.

Oh
fuck.

TBC

What'd you think? Muahahahahah!! Okay, go have fun checking out the other Briefers--but comment if you like where this is going. ;)

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

This week's flash piece wasn't inspired by a cute kitten, but I thought the phrase 'Get while the getting's good.' fit very well. So I hope you enjoy this update!

Lost Inside Chapter 25

“Poking
and prodding is all done, right?” Yuri and Benny surprised the doctors with how
well they healed, and Yuri was eager to get to Benny’s surprise. Dr. Vancould
was cautious about being too optimistic.

“I
don’t think we need to give you another dose of venom,” Millie said. “Maybe in
six months we can repeat the treatment. Right now, your brain is furiously at
work, stimulated by the neurotoxin proteins latching onto the cell receptors in
your brain at rates I’ve never seen before.”

“So
I’m better? I know I remember better.” He’d remembered the doctor’s names, and
that he was getting a surprise. “My head doesn’t even hurt now. Still don’t
know why I needed a shot though.”

“Well,
I wouldn’t say you’re all better. But you’re getting there.” She patted him on
the arm. “And Dr. Vancould agrees with me. He’s just being cautious. He doesn’t
want to get your hopes up too high, or make you think that we’ve miraculously
healed you.”

“Well,
I’d say this is good news. We just need to watch and see if we need to watch
carefully to see how the treatment is progressing. If it slows, we’ll reassess,
but until then, I’d say we need to see Yuri once a week for a scan and
interview. Other than that, you’re free.”

“You’re
staying in town?” Benny asked.

“I
am,” Millie said. “I want to talk to Velaku and Davis some more, and I can do
my work in any lab. Dr. Pannar has offered me a part of his clinic that will do
nicely. I’m very interested in this case, obviously, and I can do the scans.
We’ll do a screen chat with Dr. Vancould from my temporary office.”

Yuri
jumped up and hugged Millie. “I’m glad you’re staying!”

She
smiled and patted him on the back. “Thank you.”

Letting
her go, Yuri turned to Benny. “They said we’re all done. Can we go? I want my
surprise.” He bounced on the balls of his feet, twisting his hands together.

“All
right. Let’s get while the getting’s good.”

Yuri
cocked his head and frowned. “Get what?” He didn’t understand. “Is it part of
my surprise?”

Benny
chuckled. “No, I just meant we should go before they think up anything else to
ask us.”

“Oh!”
Yuri nodded. “Yes, let’s get then. Bye!” He waved at the doctors over his
shoulder with one hand, and towed Benny toward the door with the other.

The
arcade fun center Benny took Yuri to was amazing. It wasn’t too loud, either.
There was a Wolf operating the admissions booth, so it was a local Clan
establishment. He didn’t seem to mind they were Tigers.

Yuri
was surprised, and then surprised at his surprise. “Why did I think that Wolf
would be mad we were there?” Yuri asked after they left. He held a bunch of
stuff he’d picked out at the prize counter in his lap in the truck. The pink
fuzzy dice made Benny grimace when he hung them from the mirror.

“Our
Clan isn’t much for outsiders. I thought that was how the world worked—until we
got away from them.” He turned a corner and the dice swayed. “Do I really have
to keep those there?” He spoke through his teeth.

Yuri
snickered. “Yep. What? You don’t like my gift?”

Benny
closed his eyes. “Of course I do.” He so didn’t,
which Yuri thought was hilarious. He’d make his mate keep them up for a few
days.

Maybe
a week.

“Can
we go swimming? I liked the bumper boats, but the water smelled bad. There’s a
lake not far from Cleara and Szorpin’s eyrie. We could get the younglings and
take them too!”

“I’ll
call, but it’s not quite warm enough to swim in the lake. Maybe we could take
them to a park for a picnic instead.”

Yuri
slumped in his seat as the light changed and they turned the corner by the bar.
“Okay.” He sat up and frowned when they drove past it. “Where are we going?”

“Did
you think your surprise was over?”

“It’s
not?” Yuri watched out the window to see where they were going. “That’s Cleara’s
van!”

Two
Falcons set down next to the truck when Benny pulled up to the curb.

“And
we’re at the park! You already called her,” Yuri accused Benny. He grinned.

“Yep.
I thought you might miss everyone. Right now we have six guards with us, so
everyone should be plenty safe. Just stay in the park area with everyone, all
right?”

Yuri
nodded. “I’m not stupid.”

“I
know. I just worry.” Benny touched his cheek. “Okay, let’s go have some more fun.”

Yuri
hadn’t realized how much he missed everyone until the younglings climbed him
like monkeys instead of Falcons. Cleara nagged at him to eat with his mouth
closed over lunch, and Yuri didn’t even get upset.

By
the time it was close to dinner the young, and Yuri, were worn out. “Are you
coming home?” Leelan asked as Cleara buckled everyone in.